compensatory damages

noun

: money awarded to a victim to make up for an injury, damage, etc.
The patient sued for compensatory damages.

Examples of compensatory damages in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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The firm also said punitive damages should be eliminated or reduced to, at most, three times compensatory damages due to a statutory cap in the state of Florida. Lora Kolodny, CNBC, 20 Feb. 2026 The jury rejected, however, the request from plaintiffs’ attorneys for a whopping $40 million in damages, awarding only $750,000 in compensatory damages, which the city must pay, and no money in punitive damages against Guevara himself. Jason Meisner, Chicago Tribune, 20 Feb. 2026 The compensatory damages for medical claims ranged between $40,000 and $240,000 per client. Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 7 Feb. 2026 Dean's attorneys had also sought $24 million in compensatory damages and $120 million in punitive damages. Miguel Torres, Oklahoman, 6 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for compensatory damages

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Cite this Entry

“Compensatory damages.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/compensatory%20damages. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.

Legal Definition

compensatory damages

noun
: actual damages at damage 2
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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